‘You heard me,’ dad’s voice came louder this time. ‘Grab something, Liv. It’ll only take them two minutes to get up here. Hurry.’
I joined mom in the kitchen and stuffed one item after the other into the front pocket of my hoody. Snicker bars, matches, hand sanitizer and just about anything my hand landed on. When my pockets could hold no more, I pulled the long kitchen knife out of the holder and stuck it behind my back.
‘Are we not going to fight?’ I asked through the hiccups of my cries.
‘There’s no fighting to be done,’ mom assured me in a tone that didn’t have the slightest glimmer of hope attached to it.
‘What do you mean there’s no fighting to be done? This is our home. We can’t allow them to stroll through it like they own the place. We can’t not fight.’
‘Your mother’s right,’ dad replied firmly. ‘In a few minutes, you’ll want to fight for your home, I get that, but what you also need to understand is that fighting for your home is better than fighting for your life.’
‘Are you kidding me?’ I hissed. ‘You worked for all of this. Hell, I’ve been working my ass off too. Nothing about allowing it to happen makes sense.’
The frustration in dad’s voice grew, ‘this economy doesn’t make sense, honey, and there’s nothing we can do about it. So I suggest you suck it up and allow them to claim what they want. But don’t allow them to claim your life. You’ve got to be alive in order to survive. Don’t be stupid about it.’
He was right, the economy had taken a turn for the irreparable, but we had enough. We could survive until things passed. But giving up our home wouldn’t allow for survival. Giving up our home would mean that we were agreeing to defeat without questioning it.
‘You should know better than anyone,’ the pitch of my voice climbed, ‘you should know that if you want something you fight for it. Isn’t that what you keep telling me- that you stopped at nothing. What was your childhood for, then? Why did you pound all of that bullshit about reaching for the stars in my head? So that you could be a coward when you’re put to the test? Because the dad I knew- the one who turned mere pennies into millions- he wouldn’t just fold under pressure.’
‘This isn’t the time for that,’ mom snapped. ‘Show your father some respect and use your head for once.’
‘Allison,’ dad turned to mom, speaking to her as though I wasn’t in the same room, ‘Liv’s just upset is all.’
‘Of course I’m upset,’ I replied, walking toward the narrow hallway that led to my bedroom. ‘I’m upset because you’re telling me that I should just give up. You’re telling me to forget about everything you taught me and to just succumb to all the bullshit that’s happening in this world.’
My rant was interrupted by pounding on the door. I looked from mom to dad and dad to mom and noticed one thing in both their eyes- they were ready.
‘Just put your hands up and walk out.’ Dad’s head bobbed up and down in agreement with himself.
If they weren’t going to fight for themselves then I’d have to fight for us all. I charged toward my bedroom, slammed the door shut behind me and tuned out dad’s demands. ‘Get out here this minute, Liv,’ he yelled. ‘You’re going to get yourself killed.’
We weren’t put in this world to live forever and though death might have wanted to call my name as I pressed my back against the door- preventing one command or the other to cause me to cave- I knew that on the outside, death was harsher and more likely than anyone wanted to admit. Holding the knife securely in my hands, I slid my fingers down the edge of the blade. Sharp. Sharp enough to cut through meat and sharp enough to cut through human flesh.
A ruckus in the living room, with wailing and pleading was enough to ascertain me that they’d entered. Footsteps- heavy and determined- approached my bedroom. I made my way to my feet, waiting for the inevitable. I watched as the door handle to my bedroom lowered. The door shuddered when the person on the other side realized it was locked.
‘Somebody’s in this one,’ a harsh voice sent shivers down my spine.
More footsteps- quicker this time- approached my bedroom. I stepped back from the door, knowing that in no time at all, it would be removed from its hinges and I’d be left to face the demons on the other side.
‘You know there’s no hiding from us.’ Way too many cigarettes were likely the reason for the huskiness of the voice that echoed on the other side.
Even through the door, I could smell him. The overpowering and undisguisable scent of cigarettes and booze. The door handle rattled rapidly and the pounding started again. My eyes widened and my hands clasped more firmly around the knife as one corner of the door separated. And then another. I planted my feet on the ground, building up the fight in me. One more shoulder to the door sent a short and stocky man flying through. Immediately, my hand went above my head and forcefully I swung it down in the direction of the figure before me. He glared at me as he curled his fingers around the blade and pulled hard enough to rip the knife from my hands. Shocked, lost for words and without the only weapon I’d managed to grab hold of, my decision to fight proved to be a foolish one. A roar of laughter mocked my attempts to defend my home.
‘She really thought she could take you,’ jeered a tall man who watched the action from behind.
The man, who was now in possession of my knife smiled before extending his tongue and licking the small droplets of blood that had formed in his palm. ‘Seems like the prettier they are the dumber they are.’ Now standing before me, he traced a lone finger along my jawline before gripping a handful of my long, blonde hair.
‘Get out of my house,’ I spat, pushing his hands away from me.
‘Did she say, her house?’ laughed the only man whose voice I hadn’t yet heard.
‘Yes, I said my house, you bastard. This is my house. Just because you attempt to steal something, doesn’t make it yours.’
Again, an effort to take hold of my hair was made. I resisted by stepping further back into my room. ‘I don’t think I like your tone and the last person’s tone I didn’t like,’ he rubbed the back of his hand against his beard, ‘well, let’s just say his tone was his downfall.’
I felt the Goosebumps rise on my skin with every word that slipped from his slithery grin. Giving up would have been the right thing to do, but how could I? ‘I’m not going to allow you to do this.’ My eyes wandered from person to person, trying to determine which one of the three was more likely to show sympathy.
‘I think we should keep her,’ said one of the men to the other.
What did they mean by keep me?
Scraggly fingers grabbed my arm and pulled me closer to him. ‘Is that what you want?’ he asked. ‘You want to stay here with us. I could think of a million and one things a girl like you would be good for.’
The look on his face, the tone of his voice and the evil in his eyes made my stomach turn. ‘No,’ I yelled, pulling my hand out of his grasp and kneeing him in the place that hurt the most.
His hands clung to his stomach as his face contorted with pain.
‘Bitch!’ he cried.
‘You okay, boss,’ the other two men came to his rescue.
I didn’t stop for long enough to give them time to think about revenge. Through the door I went, avoiding the elevator and taking to the stairs. Faster and faster I ran, holding my breath the entire way until. Gravity aided the contents of my pocket to leave a trail behind me. But there was no worrying about what I would or would not be able to eat; there was no stopping to reclaim my belongings. I needed to get out. I couldn’t allow them to catch up with me. A few more strides and one push of the sturdy glass door landed me on the same pavement where my parents stood with their arms wrapped around each other. My eyes met theirs and they released their hold from each other and wrapped their arms around me.
‘We told you not to fight,’ mother whimpered. ‘You’ll never know just how much you scared us. We thought…’
‘We thought they hurt you,’
dad interjected.
‘Of course they hurt me,’ I snapped. ‘They took our home. Now, we’re stuck out here with nothing. And you guys, you just put your hands up and surrendered.’
‘I tried to go back,’ dad promised. ‘But that guy standing guard at the parking lot, he wasn’t having it.’
‘He really did,’ mother assured me. ‘We both begged him to let us get you, but…’
‘It’s okay,’ I settled, not wanting to start a fuss about feeling neglected when I didn’t truly believe that to be the case. ‘Did you call the police?’
Mom waved her cell phone in the air, ‘no answer. With all the crime going on in this city, they’ve got their hands full.’
A small chuckle escaped me, ‘doing their jobs? They seem to be half the problem if you ask me. I just don’t get it. I don’t understand how they can just kick back and eat donuts while our city looks like this.’
‘I assure you Liv, no one’s kicking back at this point. More than half the officers in town have lost their jobs and the other half are either hard at work, trying to fight something much bigger than them or they’re fighting for their lives.’
‘How could things just disintegrate this fast?’
Mother ran her soft hands down my arm. ‘It’s been going on for a while dear. We’ve just been lucky enough not to experience it.’
She had a point. Having stayed indoors for the majority of the time, fiddling with my computer and working relentlessly at things that didn’t matter now, there was no way for me to see just how bad things were. Dad had picked up a few additional staff members and thus, taking care of the grocery shopping and other necessities was no longer left up to us. We weren’t completely oblivious to what was happening either. There were people in our building, who- just like us- had been tossed out by the gangs that roamed around during day and night. Our penthouse wasn’t targeted simply because dad had hired the security power to protect us. But eventually, it seemed as though no matter how much he paid them, it wasn’t enough. Or maybe they had families who needed them more than we did. Whatever the case was, we were left to fend for ourselves and thus, the inevitable happened. Just like the others in our building, we were tossed out onto the streets, without the slightest idea of where to go and what move to make next.
‘And now?’ I asked. ‘What do we do now?’
‘A hotel?’ Mom seemed uncertain with her suggestion.
Dad scrunched up his face as he considered the option. ‘We can try, but it’s quite a while away.’
Distance wasn’t dad’s strong point. Having never walked for more than two minutes at a time, unless he was on the treadmill, he had no idea how far the Marriot was when out of the security of his seatbelt.
‘Twenty minutes, at the most,’ I added.
Dad shook his head. ‘No. I’m pretty sure it’s much farther than that.’
‘Just trust me on this one, dad. I used to jog past there every morning so I would know.’
‘Okay,’ mother said, catching her long golden locks and securing them in a ponytail. ‘Let’s go.’
***
The scorching sun peered down upon us with retribution as we set out to find new accommodation. There wasn’t an ounce of hope left in the streets. With each step we made, it became more and more evident that the puzzle of perfection that we once fit into so well, was up in flames. Each face was one torn with misery; each mouth was one uncertain of how to be fed. Was this what life would be like? Would we soon need to join the few familiar faces which hung deeper and deeper in shame as we strode by? There were people just like us on the streets; people we knew hovered over the little they had and wishing they had more. At some point, like us, they did. But the forceful hands, the ones with no conscience, they had relieved them- and now us- of even the most basic items. Power was once set in one’s riches. However, now, power was left up to those bold enough to take it. The need for a gun wasn’t something we’d had. We were safe and when we felt the least sense of insecurity, we could afford to boost our confidence by hiring someone to protect us. But now, all had failed. The rich man’s world was up for the taking. Power belonged to the strong. Power belonged to those without a conscience; those equipped with no regard for wrong or right.
Weeks prior to being thrown out of my home, I’d seen the riots on the news. There were so many who felt as though they’d been wronged for their entire lives and that now, it was time to take what should have been theirs. I couldn’t understand the concept. ‘Hard work pays off,’ my dad would always say. But these people, they were angry that they sat around and allowed life to happen to them instead of working for what they truly want. The moment they realized that there was no one to protect the fortunate, they took to the streets in swarms, rejuvenated with all kinds of evil running through their minds.
‘What do you think will happen when all this is over?’ I turned to mother.
She quickened her pace and settled down beside me, breathing heavily with each word she said. ‘I think we’ll be fine. If we make it through to the end, we’ll be fine.’
Her words caught me off guard. ‘What do you make mean by make it through?’
‘Allison, now’s not the time to be grim,’ dad entered the conversation, scolding mom for her comment.
‘She asked me a question, Lewis, and I’m answering it honestly. What just happened to us, that’s the beginning of something much much greater. She need to know that.’
The constant shaking of his head was enough to determine that dad was growing irritated. ‘Really? Because right now, all we’ve got is whatever we managed to stick into our pockets. So there’s nothing more they can take. There’s nothing more they can do. But as for right now, negativity is not something that I want to hear from any of you. There’s no reason for it. All you’ll be doing is beating yourself down to the point where you don’t even feel like putting the energy into finding a solution and I won’t have that.’
I pushed a lone strand of hair out of my face. ‘I’m sorry dad, I didn’t mean to upset you.’
Mom grunted. ‘I don’t see what you’re apologizing for, if hope’s lost, it’s lost and that’s that.’
Dad’s eyebrow arch grew higher. ‘And is that what you think? You think all hope is lost because you’ve lost your home? Gimme a frickin’ break. Where I grew up…’
Mom cut him off, ‘this isn’t about where you grew up Lewis. You’ve lived a wonderful life for longer than you can remember so no, I don’t believe that you’re still accustomed to certain things. Don’t pretend that toughing it out will be a breeze for you, because it won’t. It won’t be a breeze for any of us and the sooner we accept it, the sooner we’ll be able to adapt to what’s ahead.’
‘Guys,’ I put my hands up, only to be overpowered by dad’s voice.
‘Ha,’ he snickered, ‘you’re something else. You’re really something else Allison. But no, not once did I say anything was fair, or that it would be easy. But I sure as hell am not going around acting like I’ve already been defeated.’
‘But you have,’ mom insisted.
‘Guys,’ I tried again.
‘This isn’t defeat. This is life. It gets rough. It sucks. But it’s up to you to make it better.’
‘Shut up,’ I yelled. There I was, in the middle of the streets, watching my parents attempt to rip each other apart. ‘The both of you just needs to shut the hell up.’
‘Don’t speak to…’ mom tried to scold me.
‘Don’t speak to my parents that way? Is that what you want to say, mom? Because you sure as hell aren’t acting like parents right now. I’m not sure where you think it’ll get us if you both decide to stand here and argue about who’s defeated and who’s not. Right now, the entire United States is in a pickle and moping about it isn’t going to help anyone. We’re five minutes away from that damn hotel, so let’s just get a room and figure something else out. As a matter of fact, let’s get two rooms so that I won’t have to sit and listen to you guys argue ab
out nothing.’
‘Fine,’ mom established.
Dad’s face relaxed which was enough proof that he too wanted to move forward without fighting. I led the way, prompting my parents to pick up their pace. Time went by quickly, and soon, the gargantuan peach and white colored building was in sight. However, getting inside wasn’t as easy as expected. To the right of the building stood a large group.
‘What are they doing?’ mom asked confused.
‘Cashing in their food stamps,’ I answered irritated.
‘Oh seriously?’
‘No mom, not seriously. That’s the trash can, they’re probably waiting for the staff to toss out food so that they can go scavenging.’
A look of genuine horror was to be seen on mother’s face. ‘That’s horrible.’
‘Tell me you’re not just realizing that now,’ I said, pushing my way through the crowd.
Dad followed closely behind. Mom looked around for a while, seemingly shocked by what she’d seen.
‘Come on,’ I urged.
‘There’s Margaret,’ she yelled loudly enough for me to hear her over the chattering.
I watched as mom headed in the direction of the lady she thought she knew; a lady who was undoubtedly a lot different than she expected her to be. Mom reached out and tapped Margaret on the shoulders, receiving only an irritated shrug. I could see as she attempted to strike up a conversation but was shut down without a second thought.
‘Come on, mom,’ I yelled again.
With her elbows pointed to the side, she pushed any and everyone who was standing in her way. ‘Did you see that?’ she asked when she’d finally made it through. ‘She just acted like she had no idea who I was. I used to visit this lady’s coffee shop at least once a week.’
‘Mom,’ I tried to be as comforting as possible, ‘this is how everyone will start to act. They’ve lost their footing in life and it’s embarrassing, so seeing you all dressed up intimidates them.’
‘But it’s not like I’m better off than they are. Hell, I just got tossed out of my apartment by a bunch of scary looking men. I’m on the streets, just like everyone else here.’
Presidential Cleaning: A Psychological Suspense Novel Page 10
